WSO to Move into Restored Pantages Playhouse Theatre

For most of my life, it was called the Playhouse Theatre but it was one of the early Pantages theatres built in 1913/1914 as part of a vaudeville circuit. It is now a national heritage site and aside from addition built in 1992, it looks pretty much the same as it is did when it went up. Over the last few years, it has not been on anyone's radar. It appeared to be part of a non-profit and private company's attempt to redevelop the corner for arts use but also for housing. Then nothing. Until now.

The Performing Arts Consortium (PAC) and the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra (WSO) have engaged designers and have come up with a $60 million dollar plan to upgrade the building. They have raised $15 million of that money and expect the three levels of government to contribute as well as private donors. The theatres has not seen any activity since 2018. Once $30 million has been raised, a capital campaign will begin and a construction timetable will be announced.

The city has administered Pantages since the 1940s. The WSO has been a managing tenant for a few years before the present closure. Many arts and music groups have made use of the facility through its history. It has had some legendary performers from vaudeville to rock. But it has also host high school musicals over the years.

Pantages would give the WSO a primary home when not performing at the Centennial Concert Hall. With a 1100 seats, it is an ideal size for some of the type of works the symphony would like to do. For full concerts, the 2300 concert hall remains the best venue. However, there is an objective to attract more commercial shows and musicals there as well. Presently, the WSO, Manitoba Opera and Royal Winnipeg Ballet share the hall there and will continue to do so. But a smaller hall might be appropriate for many groups to use more frequently. 

The Manitoba Museum and the Concert Hall have all been going through multimillion renovations. This is not surprising since most of the buildings are near 60 or 70 years of age. Thankfully, the commitment to the arts has been strong throughout our history from subscribers, patrons and government. 

The various arts groups in the area around Pantages make it a very busy area when they are all have events going on. The theatre will be one of three venues from Winnipeg's early day that have had a re-birth. The Burton Cummings and the Metropolitan have all come back from previous incarnations and have owners that care about their wellbeing and keeping them as venues for the arts.

While people in Manitoba have always supported the arts, having endowments is still fairly new. The Winnipeg Symphony has a $11 million endowment. The Manitoba Opera has a $10 million endowment. The Royal Manitoba Theatre Centre has a $17 million endowment. Contrast that with the Guthrie Theatre in Minneapolis with a $65 million endowment and the Minnesota Orchestra has $186 million. Minnesota Opera has $23 million.

Granted Minnesota has more population than Canada and few government supports but no endowments means it is harder for arts groups to achieve what they want in a short time. The WSO has admitted that even if work starts soon, it will be about 2029 before they can move in. Till then they will have to do all performances in the concert hall as well as rent office space and do rehearsals there.

There will be changes to the inside of Pantages to give it a deeper stage with improvements throughout to audio, video systems and general acoustics. The last big changes took place 30 years ago so the next changes should take the venue 30 to 40 years into the future. However, once complete the work should held the WSO earn extra income that they could never earn in the concert hall such as the lounge.

There are other spaces nearby that could see development of the next several years. Despite the setback of homelessness and crime, there continues to be building of housing and a return of some businesses. A critical mass has brought additional security as has been reported this week. The truth is that people need to see security or they simply won't come to the area or any area. The fear that you are heading to or leaving from a performance and running into a violent altercation is all too real.

The Winnipeg Jets have been downtown many years and tens of thousands of people heading to games creates a certain safety in numbers. If an incident does happen, it is very likely there are dozens of people dialing 911. There is also the presence of police and security everywhere. Generally the presence of many people at The Forks prevents episodes of crime happening. However, a recent random attack at The Forks reminds people that even with a large security presence, things can happen and a suspect can get away. In this case though, not before a high definition picture was taken of the suspect.

Pantages will be a real step to continued success for the Winnipeg Symphony. There are very few Pantages theatres across North America left. Los Angeles and Toronto have theirs but most of the 75 theatres have fallen to the wrecking balls. The East Exchange for many years was a mix of culture, warehouse, offices and in recent decades housing. It is these type of investments that will keep the area vital. Let's hope the project can begin soon. The most disappointing thing is when projects take longer than a decade to get underway.